Trump administration quietly shifts $352m in federal funds for White House ballroom

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: The Guardian

Donald Trump's administration has quietly redirected $352m in federal funds designated for the Secret Service toward the president's controversial White House ballroom project, despite repeated promises by Trump that the construction would be financed by private donations

The funds were drawn from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Trump's signature tax legislation passed last summer on Republican-only votes. The law stipulates the money may only be spent on Secret Service personnel, training facilities, technology and related costs, not construction.

About $340.8m of the funding was placed into an account labeled "Procurement, Construction, and Improvements" on 12 June, according to the office of management and budget (OMB) database. Another account labeled "Operations and Support" was also approved the same day, adding another $10.75m to the budget.

The move came after Congress explicitly refused to provide $1bn in funds for the "East Wing Modernization Project", the Trump administration's official name for a 90,000-sq-ft ballroom being built on the site of the White House's demolished East Wing.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trump-administration-quietly-shifts-352m-153628777.html

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[yellow dahlia]

1. How many levels of thievery must we witness, before somebody does something?

Congress - take back your Article 1 responsibilities!

I'm apoplectic! I'm fuming!

[young_at_heart]

5. I say this every day!!

When will somebody DO something? and.....Why do I have to keep saying this over and over?

[yellow dahlia]

6. It's a kind of psychological torture to have to witness this.

[IrishAfricanAmerican]

14. It absolutely is!

Most of the citizens will be experiencing PTSD when this traitor is finally out of office.

[yellow dahlia]

18. Sad, but true.

[slightlv]

23. Some of us have been suffering with it since his first "term"...

I ask when will be allowed therapy and recompensed for pain and suffering!

[Claustrum]

33. They will magically have it back when a democrat is in the White House.

Just like the Supreme Court will act differently. But not before then.

Or alternatively, we win back both the house and senate.

Do not trust any republicans to do the right thing because you will always be disappointed.

[dalton99a]

2. Kick

[twodogsbarking]

3. I liked the old White House. The one without Trump.

[twodogsbarking]

4. He will shift the other 2/3's in a week or so.

[purr-rat beauty]

7. I don't get how freely...

These people can shift, drop, take large sums of money without some serious oversight it seems.

Is there just a button they push?

Wouldn't there be levels and levels of legal and financial paperwork?

Fuck....buying a house is more complicated than taking a quarter billion dollars from the treasury or other budgets.

That is OUR money

[underpants]

28. There are levels of approval that are needed. These establish accounting controls.

If someone says no they NOW they would probably be fired and pressure would be put on someone else to sign off on it. This is probably done with a journal entry.

Debut one fund/revenue account (decrease)
Credit another fund/revenue account (increase)

[City Lights]

8. Stop thief!

Every day it's a new horror with him, and those who can stop him just sit by watching.

[Seinan Sensei]

10. Wanted: At least one adult to be in the room

[Norrrm]

9. "East Wing Modernization Project",,, Originally, the ballroom would not affect the East Wing.

Originally, it was going to cost $200 million.

[sop]

24. Everything's a bait-and-switch scam for this sleazy condo salesman.

[Cheezoholic]

11. Once Congress releases money to anything under the umbrella of the Executive it is theirs to do with what they want

Technically no, thats misappropriations but the only thing that will stop the Executive from abusing those funds is a Congress that holds them accountable and a truly independent DOJ and GAO, which we do not have. Lose the judiciary and it's over. There's only one thing good that will eventually come of this repuke regime is it has laid wide open the holes in our system that can be exploited for self enrichment and for corruption. Special independent commission to work on fixing all of this crap if we win. If we don't it will happen over and over IMO.

[cstanleytech]

12. Any contractors that accept the money should be banned from government contracts for the next twenty years.

[BadgerMom]

13. Really? From Secret Service?

Guess he’s not really concerned about his security after all.

[LudwigPastorius]

15. He's going to gut the SS budget, and replace...

the agents with UFC fighters in matching brown shirts who he can pay with crypto TrumpBux.

[underpants]

30. It's supposedly for upgrades under the ground.

Secret service related. Much better medical and security facilities.

[progressoid]

16. Hey, it worked when he took DoD money to pay for the "wall" that Mexico was supposed to pay for.

This is pocket change compared to that.

[Lonestarblue]

17. And who wants to bet that the poll company he hired to redo the reflecting pool gave him a kickback.

The original estimate for the repairs was around $2 million, but that quickly got increased to over $14 million when Trump hired, without any bids as legally required, the pool company that works on his gold club pool. I'm sure a hefty part of that $14 million will be free work by the company at Trump's club. Trump never misses an opportunity to steal money. We'll never know how much he has stolen in kickbacks and free labor on his properties.

[Bev54]

19. Didn't the courts shut down his ballroom construction at the end of May or beginning of June?

Would this not be some form of contempt of court?

[Deuxcents]

29. When I first started reading this, your question came to my mind..I, too, thought this project was stopped

[ChicagoTeamster]

20. How do they get away with this? Doesn't Congress have to approve the movement of funds?

He tried doing the same thing with his wall building nonsense during his last administration.

[Botany]

21. It is not a ballroom it is a Furhrer Bunker

Es ist kein Ballsaal, es ist ein Führerbunker.

He is not planning on leaving the White House.

Btw why does an 80 year old man who can’t dance need a ballroom?

[Harker]

25. That's my thinking.

Schloss Trumpsky.

[Bengus81]

32. He's leaving,one way or the other...........

[Hieronymus Phact]

22. We know congress won't do anything.

Someone has to sue them to stop.

[GiqueCee]

26. "There is no bottom...

... to Trump's cesspool of malice, deceit, and depravity", is a phrase I use often to describe his latest affront to decency, honesty, and the law. And the lowlife filth that carry out his schemes are no better. But there's an especially vomit-inducing pit in Hell that will have to be enlarged to accommodate all the Republicans responsible letting him get away with all this shit.
And then there are the flames that will crisp the cojones of John Roberts as he hangs by the thumbs he put on the Scales of Justice to benefit the worst president in American history. None of Trump's predecessors even came close to the level of shame he has brought upon our country.
And God help the pissant Pollyanna that even hints at "looking forward, not back" when it comes to punishing this evil fuck and all of his enablers.

[bucolic_frolic]

27. Kennedy Center was just the beginning

History when it gains control will reverse it all.

[Bengus81]

31. It would be hard to find something,anything to impeach his ass over

[Martin Eden]

34. IMPEACH !!!

Just add this one to a long list of impeachable offenses.

[Maeve]

35. Shouldn't the word "illegally" be in that headline somewhere?